About the job

Job summary

The first duty of the government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure. The Home Office has always been at the front line of this endeavour. As such, the Home Office plays a vital role in the security and economic prosperity of the United Kingdom.

The Migration and Borders Group (M&BG) has a far-reaching and comprehensive programme which encompasses policy, legislation and reform of the immigration systems and acts as a centre for excellence to deliver international interventions and engagement. This includes many of the most high-profile policy areas for the Home Office: asylum, migration, nationality, extradition, citizens’ rights, borders and international criminality.

Its mission is to guide the UK’s immigration, borders, asylum, and citizenship system, to ensure it is run in a coherent, end to end manner, providing great customer service and applying fair but firm controls, in line with ministerial objectives for the New Plan for Immigration.

To achieve its aims, MBG works closely with Border Force, UK Visas and Immigration, His Majesty’s Passport Office, Immigration Enforcement, Digital, Data and Technology, Home Office Legal Advisers as well as other partner organisations and government departments.

The M&B Group prides itself on being an open and supportive workplace. We actively embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity to enable us to reflect the communities that we serve. We provide people with the opportunity to work at pace and deliver in stretching roles. You will learn a lot in your day-to-day work and benefit from a range of excellent wider learning and development opportunities.

Job description

We are recruiting for a Senior Executive Officer (SEO) to be based within the System Strategy and Planning Team. This team sits in heart of the Migration and Borders Group (MBG). The Unit has responsibility for strategic planning and systems thinking, ensuring that the constituent parts of the MBG system (operational, policy and transformation) work in tandem to deliver on departmental priorities. The role provides a unique insight into the workings of MBG, and other Home Office teams and government departments involved in migration and the border.

This is a challenging role that will suit someone who wants autonomy and responsibility over their portfolio; aims to develop skills and experience in strategy development and planning; seeks to expand their knowledge of Migration and Borders more broadly and to gain experience of cross-Whitehall working.

You will also play a meaningful role supporting senior managers in defining, building, and implementing our priorities, focusing on operational effectiveness and efficiency throughout the system. You will have the opportunity to work on some of the most exciting and influential work happening in migration.

The post holder will be working on a number of exciting system-wide workstreams to set the strategic direction of the Migration and Borders system, and address some of the most important longer term questions and issues facing the System. Working with colleagues across MBG, operational capabilities, the wider Home Office and partners across government, you will analyse and develop options on areas as varied as the Migration and Evidence base, understanding the system through detailed mapping, and how to improve its longer term health and stability.

You may have the opportunity to work on other discrete cross-cutting projects like futures and foresight work, and help deliver regular high profile strategy products like the Outcome Delivery Plans. We use systems thinking techniques to underpin much of this work, and you will have the opportunity to access L&D to help you use these tools.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity, by Spring 2024. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). 

Person specification

The post holder will benefit from previous experience of delivering strategic work and being able to see the bigger picture behind more tactical initiatives, for example in a policy or an operational environment.

You will have the chance to use evidence and analysis and wider political and policy knowledge, in your work, and you will be expected to help generate new ideas across the Migration and Borders System. You will need to be able to build strong relationships with other partners across the Home Office (including the operational Capabilities and other missions), work with and present to senior leaders with clarity and confidence and engage closely with a variety of stakeholders to deliver shared pieces of work.

You will need to be comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment where priorities and outcomes could quickly change.

Essential Criteria:

You will have a demonstrable passion for delivery with the following skills and strong experience in:

• A strategic thinker evidencing the ability to see the bigger picture, identifying and considering the macro issues and trends which influence and drive activity across the Migration and Borders system.
• Ability to work independently and with good judgement to solve emerging issues.
• Ability to work flexibly in a high profile, fast-moving and rapidly changing area of delivery.
• Strong analytical skills with an eye for detail, able to interpret and digest detailed and complex information from wide-ranging sources and present it to differing audiences with clear recommendations.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with a broad range of partners.
• Strong written and drafting skills.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of development of strategic and systems products.
• An interest in futures and foresight work.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

As part of the application, you will be asked to complete:

• A CV (job history / skills)
• Statement of Suitability (Personal statement) (750 words maximum)
• Evidence of the lead behaviour -Seeing the Big Picture (250 words maximum).

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The Statement of Suitability must be aligned to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job advertisement.

The sift will be held on the Statement of Suitability and the lead behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture.

Your CV should consist of your career history, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will not be scored, but instead will be used to provide further context on your personal statement, and support conversations at interview.

In an event where a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will take place using the Statement of Suitability. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be either progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.

Successful candidates shortlisted for interview will be tested on a blended approach of Strength based questions (no preparation necessary) and all the behaviours outlined in the job advertisement.

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying and generating of examples/answers from internet sources including Artificial Intelligence. If any is detected the application may be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving civil servants. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.

Sift and Interview Dates:

The sift will take place week commencing 19th February 2024

Interviews will take place week commencing 4th March 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

Interviews will take place remotely. Candidates will be required to have access to:

• A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
• Good internet connection
• Microsoft Teams

It is advisable to access your interview from a windows operating system laptop, desktop, phone or tablet as there is no guarantee that Microsoft Teams will work without issue on an Apple laptop, tablet or desktop.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to time constraints we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s). It is therefore expected that candidates who are successful at sift stage will make themselves available during the above time frame given.

Further details and instructions will be provided closer to the scheduled interview.

Northern Ireland is part of the UK. As stated in the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland recognise the birth right of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland.

Further Information

For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.  A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

When completing your application you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.

Please note: The successful candidate will be required to hold or be willing to secure Security Check (SC) clearance.

Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.

We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.

Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.

Transfer Terms: Voluntary.

If you are invited to an interview you will be required to  bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.

Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.

Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.